Cypripedium hybrids

This entry covers garden hybrids of the genus Cypripedium, rhizomatous terrestrial orchids of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, whose parent lady's-slipper species grow in cool woodland across Europe, Asia and North America. Bred chiefly by American, British, German and Swedish growers, these hybrids combine hybrid vigour with far easier cultivation than the wild species, producing enlarged flowers in varied colours and clumping up more quickly. They require cool part shade, loose, humus-rich, well-drained soil, and a mandatory cold winter dormancy to trigger regrowth.